Novels of C.S. Friedman
Cover art reproduced with permission of Michael Whelan
- In Conquest Born
- The Wildling
- The Coldfire Trilogy, Book 1: Black Sun Rising
- The Coldfire Trilogy, Book 2: When Night Falls
- The Coldfire Trilogy, Book 3: Crown of Shadows
- The Madness Season
- This Alien Shore
- Feast of Souls
- Wings of Wrath
Buy C.S. Friedman's spell-binding books today!
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In Conquest Born
The Great War between Braxi and Azea has gone on since the beginning of interstellar
history, and will continue--some claim--to its end. Unable to achieve final victory,
unwilling to accept defeat, both sides have devoted centuries to perfecting their
martial capacity, each according to a unique tradition. In the Braxin Holding, the
ruling Braxaná tribe draws upon ancient customs to create a warrior race as strong
as it is ruthless, and utterly without human weakness. In the Azean Empire scientists
race to perfect the human genome, and to unleash the psychic potential of the human
mind against their implacable opponent.
Now two great generals have arisen, each determined to breach the stalement at any
cost. And their obsession will soon spark a vendetta that will change the
course of empires...
DAW Books, 1986 |
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The Wildling
It is now two hundred years since the great generals Zatar the Magnificent and Anzha
lyu Mitethe pursued their vendetta among the stars, and in doing so altered the
very flow of human history. The psychics of the Azean Empire have since scattered
in fear, taking shelter in regions of space where neither Empire nor Holding dares
follow. They are legendary creatures now, rumored to be half mad from the mental
fallout of their homeworld's destruction, surfacing but rarely to raid the civilized
worlds for supplies, information...or more human trade goods.
In the Empire, Azean officials now must struggle to eradicate the very strain that once promised them victory, lest the madness of the psychics infect them all. While in the Holding, the proud Braxaná have attended to the needs of their dying gene pool with typically barbaric élan, resurrecting traditions that more civilized peoples abandoned long ago. In the shadow of their newfound genetic fixation other Braxin tribes stir, wondering if the time for revolution has come at last…while the echoes of an ancient vendetta reverberate in the chambers of power.
Fleeing Braxaná justice, a Kesserit warrior named Tathas finds himself bound
on a quest any sane Braxin should fear more than death itself….
Searching for the key to her heritage, an Azean Mediator named Zara discovers there are landscapes within herself more terrible than any alien battlefield…. Seeking her long-lost kin, the renegade psychic Rho will find them both, and with their aid will set in motion the final phase of an ancient vendetta -- as those who watch from the starlit shadows whisper of conspiracies that will undo them all. DAW Books, 2004 |
The Coldfire TrilogyDAW books has released a beautiful trade paperback set of the Coldfire Trilogy. It features the same cover art by Michael Whelan in a lovely new graphic design. It is a beautiful (and affordable) way to give the Coldfire Trilogy as a gift, or to replace your well-worn paperback set with something more substantial. | |
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Black Sun Rising
From Library Journal
For over a thousand years, the colonists of the planet Erna have struggled to gain control over a land prone to seismic instability and infused with a wild, near-sentient natural force known as "the fae." While sorcerers and adepts manipulate the dark and light sides of this power, the Church maintains its stance in opposition to its use. As the dark side of the fae grows in strength, feeding off the nightmares and greed of the minds that are drawn to it, four individuals form an unwilling alliance to battle the source of evil. Friedman ( In Conquest Born , DAW, dist. by NAL, 1978; The Madness Season , DAW, dist. by NAL, 1990) has produced a splendid hybrid of sf and fantasy in this first volume of a trilogy. Hauntingly memorable protagonists, high drama, and vivid world-building mark the beginning of what promises to be a magnum opus of the imagination. A priority purchase for fantasy or sf collections. DAW Books, 1991 |
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When Night FallsHumans have survived on Erma for twelve centuries in an uneasy coexistence with a strange force known as "the fae" that conjure monsters from the very stuff of their dreams. A Sci-Fi/Fantasy that appeals to readers of both genres. DAW Books, 1993 |
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Crown of ShadowsThe final piece of the Coldfire Trilogy, the battle between humans and demonic beings on the planet Erna has reached its climax. One of the demonic Iezu is seeking total power over all living things, bringing old enemies together once more to defeat it. DAW Books, 1995 |
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The Madness SeasonFor hundreds of years, : the dreaded Tyr, a reptilian race in which all individuality is submerged into a single, overarching consciousness. Determined to keep humanity cowed, the Tyr have culled from the captive population the most intelligent, the most curious, the most likely to foment rebellion, and banished them from Earth. As the memory of freedom recedes, humanity sinks into a lethargic subservience. Daetrin, the hero of this tale, is a vampire--not a monster, however, but a man, nearly immortal, who embodies the vanished virtues of a once-sovereign Earth. When his existence is exposed by the Tyr, who are appalled to find a human who witnessed the stet cap/pk Conquest, they immediately ship him offworld. Thus begins a journey of self-discovery as Daetrin is forced by adversity to come to grips with the long-suppressed side of his nature and to confront the ancient horror of a bloody heritage. DAW Books, 1990 |
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This Alien ShoreIn interweaving the many threads of her narrative, Friedman has created a potent metaphor for the toleration of diversity DAW Books, 1999 |
The Magister TrilogyC.S. Friedman, acclaimed author of The Coldfire Trilogy, returns to the epic style which has made her one of the most popular fantasy writers in the genre. In this first book of the trilogy, Friedman introduces readers to a world of high fantasy, replete with vampire-like magical powers, erotic interludes, treachery, war, sorcery, and a draconic creature of horrific power and evil that will have readers eagerly awaiting the next novel in the series. | |
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Feast of SoulsAt the end of her bestselling Coldfire Trilogy, C.S. Friedman challenged readers to imagine what a world would be like if sorcery required the ultimate sacrifice--that of life itself. Now, in a groundbreaking new fantasy novel, FEAST OF SOULS, she introduces us to a terrifying new world in which the cost of magic is just that--a world in which the fuel for sorcery is the very fire of the human spirit, and those who hunger for magical power must pay for it with their lives. In this epic tale of terrifying shadows and desperate hope, the greatest threat of all may not be that of ancient enemies returned, or ancient wars resumed, but of the darkness that lies within the hearts of men. DAW Books, 2007 |
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Wings of WrathIn a world where spells are fueled by the essence of one's own life, the young peasant woman Kamala has proven strong and determined enough to claim the most powerful sorcery for her own. But her rise to power is not without cost. The shadowy brotherhood of Magisters now hunts her for killing one of their kind, and her only hope of survival may lie in fleeing to the northern Protectorates, where spells are warped by a curse called the Wrath and the shadow of an ancient Enemy is once more falling across the land. Joining company with the Guardian Rhys, she will soon discover the true origin of the Wrath, and learn of an ancient artifact that might awaken the northern bloodlines to their true potential...if it does not drive them mad first. For an ancient Enemy has indeed returned to the civilized lands -- a creature said to feed upon the souls of men -- and its human agents are already hard at work. In the High Kingdom, where the monk Salvator Aurelius has just claimed his father's throne, the unity of a great empire is about to be tested...along with its ruler's faith. In the halls of Kierdwyn, the terrible truth at the heart of the Guardians' mission is about to be revealed. And in warm southern climes of Sankara, the woman called Witch-Queen is about to receive an offer she dares not refuse: true immortality, and with it revenge upon the Magisters who used and abandoned her. But acceptance will require that she become something other than human, and agree to serve those who pave the way for the souleaters' return. DAW Books, 2009 Please note: Cover art copyright is held by John Palencar, who has graciously given his permission to post it here, and only here. Please do not copy, post or disseminate this pic in any way; that includes printed copies, wallpaper, links, and (for you mutant data pirates) telepathic communion. |